A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"Hahahaha, we won."

Fan Kuai said happily.

He usually disliked Han Xin's arrogant attitude, but seeing Han Xin suffer a setback felt as refreshing as drinking ice-cold soda on a sweltering summer day.

Zhou Bo was not happy at all; looking at the battle, his face showed undisguised worry.

Wei Ping's achievements overshadowed Liu Bang's, but with Han Xin as a check and balance, Liu Bang was still able to tolerate him.

Now that even Han Xin is no match for Wei Ping, can Liu Bang still tolerate Wei Ping?

At this very moment, the censor impeached Han Xin again.

"Your Majesty, I impeach the King of Chu for entering the capital without imperial decree, and for speaking disrespectfully and recklessly in court, disrupting the order of the court and disregarding court etiquette."

"Your Majesty, I implore you to severely punish the King of Chu."

Han Xin's sweeping criticisms made everyone in the court dislike him.

Even those who had fought alongside him were very dissatisfied.

You, Han Xin, are indeed powerful, but how could you command a large army without us? Haven't we contributed any merits or even just hard work?

How come in your eyes we are all idiots and fools, and you are the only smart one?

grandma's.

Soldiers of this era were not cultured people; they were mostly rough men, and few of them could even read.

Upon seeing someone impeach Han Xin, they quickly followed suit.

Suddenly, the court was swarming with people demanding that Han Xin be severely punished.

Liu Bang sat upright in the court, taking in everything.

Han Xin was not invincible; in leading troops into battle, there were others who could surpass him.

In the imperial court, Han Xin was too arrogant and made enemies everywhere, so he was not a threat.

Han Xin is no longer a threat.

Since he wants to remove the throne, then give him that opportunity.

It just so happens that Wei Ping is too strong, and Han Xin cannot die yet. The previous plan to force Han Xin to rebel and then kill him must be canceled.

Liu Bang's gaze lingered on Wei Ping for a long time beneath his crown.

After a long while, Liu Bang withdrew his gaze and finally spoke.

"King Han Xin of Chu entered the capital without imperial decree, violating the laws of the court."

"However, considering Han Xin's great contributions to the establishment of the Han Dynasty, he was pardoned and stripped of his title as King of Chu, but retained his title as Marquis of Huaiyin."

"My lord, thank you Your Majesty."

Han Xin bowed deeply, finally feeling relieved.

......

In the tenth year of the Han Dynasty, Empress Lü asked Zhang Liang for advice and invited the Four Sages of Mount Shang to come out of seclusion and assist Liu Bang. Under the influence of the Four Sages of Mount Shang, Liu Bang finally made up his mind.

In September of the same year, Chen Xi, the prime minister of the Prince of Dai, raised an army in rebellion and proclaimed himself the Prince of Dai.

Liu Bang ordered Han Xin to lead troops into battle and commanded the King of Liang to send troops to assist him, but the King of Liang did not send any troops.

In December of the same year, Han Xin quelled the rebellion of Chen Xi.

After returning to the capital in triumph, Liu Bang enfeoffed Liu Ruyi as the King of Zhao and Liu Heng as the King of Dai, and ordered all his adult princes to return to their fiefdoms.

The battle for the crown prince has come to a complete end.

In the eleventh year of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang's health became increasingly weak, and he was often plagued by minor illnesses.

Taking advantage of the stability of the Crown Prince's position and Liu Bang's illness, Empress Lü promoted many members of the Lü clan.

All of this was done with Liu Bang's tacit approval.

Liu Ying needed the power of the Lü family to take control of this vast empire.

He estimated that he didn't have more than two years left, and in order to prevent a repeat of the Qin Dynasty's Fusu incident, Liu Bang began to tacitly allow the Lü clan's power to expand.

In the summer of the eleventh year of the Han Dynasty, King Peng Yue of Liang had a conflict with the Grand Master of Liang, who accused him of treason. In addition, Peng Yue had disobeyed orders during the previous campaign against Chen Xi. Therefore, Liu Bang sent people to arrest Peng Yue, imprison him in Luoyang, demote him to a commoner, and exile him to Qingyi County in Shu Commandery.

During his exile, Peng Yue met Empress Lü Zhi, who had come from Chang'an to Luoyang. He tearfully pleaded his innocence and expressed his desire to return to his hometown. Empress Lü Zhi initially agreed and took him eastward to Luoyang.

Upon arriving in Luoyang, Lü Zhi said to Liu Bang, "King Peng is a valiant and heroic man. Exiling him to Shu would only bring trouble upon ourselves. It would be better to kill him. I brought him back with me."

Therefore, Empress Lü had Peng Yue's retainer accuse him of plotting another rebellion. The Court of Justice went through the trial process again, and Liu Bang approved it, ultimately executing Peng Yue, exterminating his three clans, and beheading him in Luoyang.

From then on, Empress Lü's fame spread throughout the court and beyond, and the Lü clan became even more domineering.

Empress Lü's ambition to seize power grew ever stronger.

Having been husband and wife for many years, Lü Zhi clearly saw that Liu Bang wanted to eliminate the vassal kings who were not of the same surname, so she followed Liu Bang's wishes and decided to force the vassal kings to rebel.

Then, he ordered the Lü family to join in suppressing the rebellion.

Therefore, Empress Lü ordered that Peng Yue's body be chopped into mincemeat and distributed to the vassal kings who were not of the same surname.

King Ying Bu of Huainan was terrified and raised an army in rebellion.

Liu Bang was already seriously ill at this time, and Empress Lü suggested that her nephew Lü Tai accompany Han Xin on the expedition.

Liu Bang agreed.

Neither of them mentioned having Wei Ping lead the troops during either of the two wars.

During the war, Lü Tai stayed in his tent every day and only appeared after the battle was over.

After the war ended, Lü Tai found Han Xin.

"Please, Marquis of Huaiyin, shield those around you."

Lu Tai arrived at the central command tent and spoke mysteriously.

Han Xin was organizing the battle reports when he frowned. Because of the relationship between Xiao He and Empress Lü, he nodded slightly, and his personal guards followed him out.

"What is it? Speak."

Han Xin lowered his head again and began organizing the battle reports and documents.

Lu Tai felt a surge of resentment at Han Xin's disrespect.

"Is the Marquis of Huaiyin currently compiling battle reports and reviewing his military achievements?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Han Xin didn't even raise his head; he despised those high-ranking but useless people.

"Now that His Majesty is old and the Crown Prince's position is secure, my aunt holds great power in the court."

"You should know why your aunt sent me here, right?"

Lü Tai hinted.

"What do you mean?"

Han Xin's brows could trap a fly; he's no longer the political novice he once was.

After experiencing these ups and downs, he has learned a lot.

"Military achievements".

"My aunt sent me here for military merit."

"What use are those peasants for military merits? I'd rather use them to be ennobled."

"Don't worry, no one will dare to tell anyone about this."

Seeing Han Xin's increasingly furrowed brows, Lü Tai had a sudden inspiration, and a mocking smile curled his lips.

"Rest assured, Marquis of Huaiyin, how about increasing your fief by 3000 households after this matter?"

"roll!"

Han Xin slammed the bamboo slip in his hand onto the table.

The commotion was so great that he and Lü Tai's personal guards all rushed in.

"What did you say?"

Lü Tai thought he had misheard.

"I told you to get lost!"

"What a coward! Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? How dare you try to steal the soldiers' achievements?"

Han Xin was furious.

When Lü Tai saw Han Xin say this in front of so many people, his eyes were filled with resentment.

"Han Xin, you're asking for death."

"You just wait!"

Lu Tai uttered a harsh remark, then led his personal guards, abandoning the main army, and sped towards Chang'an.

Upon arriving in Chang'an, Lü Tai embellished the story and told it to Lü Zhi, who was furious.

She now holds immense power, and has even killed two of the feudal lords. How dare Han Xin disrespect her?

Coincidentally, she also felt that Han Xin was somewhat difficult to control, and Wei Ping was another unstable factor.

We must take advantage of Liu Bang's continued existence to eliminate these two men.

On this day, Lü Zhi always looked hesitant and indecisive in front of Liu Bang's sickbed.

Liu Bang, observing this, asked curiously, "What are you hesitating about?"

Empress Lü hesitated for a moment, then looked at the eunuchs and palace maids around her.

Liu Bang understood and ordered all the eunuchs and palace maids to leave.

"His Majesty knows the Crown Prince's character."

"His Majesty also knows the valiant generals in the court who fought alongside him to conquer the world."

"How could Ying'er possibly command those ferocious generals well, given her personality?"

"Especially Han Xin and Wei Ping. Han Xin doesn't even give you face, let alone Ying'er."

"And then there's Wei Ping, whose strength is unparalleled. What will we, a widow and her children, do if he harbors any ill intentions?"

Empress Lü wept bitterly before Liu Bang.